[HN Gopher] Commodore 64 Ultimate
___________________________________________________________________
Commodore 64 Ultimate
Author : peterkelly
Score : 140 points
Date : 2025-07-12 09:21 UTC (13 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.commodore.net)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.commodore.net)
| sgt wrote:
| I want one !
| nucleative wrote:
| In going to follow this project closely. This is looking like a
| case of aiming for the moon and actually getting it.
|
| Let's see!
| ghusto wrote:
| I get how they're using nostalgia, but it doesn't seem to be
| coming from a cynical place. The transformation of technology
| from a utility to a nuisance at best and a disease at worst,
| strikes a chord for me.
|
| Computers used to be fun and yet require actual interest and
| effort, it's why I ended where I am. What a bait and switch.
| spacemadness wrote:
| It reads like Mark Fisher's observation about capitalism
| absorbing all resistance. Resistance becomes the next market.
| So it's doubly cynical as it's a cash grab of sorts hoping to
| ride on everyone's burnout from modern tech. I agree, it'd be
| better to just ride the nostalgia itself and let others come to
| their own conclusions about why they are nostalgic.
|
| All that said I do miss this era of computing greatly where one
| could understand it inside out and that was encouraged. I loved
| the C64 demo scene in the 80s.
| logical_proof wrote:
| If the folks who bought the Commodore name 'Atari' this thing I
| will be disappointed. Not surprised, but disappointed. If this
| pans out its going to be awesome. Warily optimistic.
| LeftHandPath wrote:
| I grew up hearing the coders and hackers of yore regaling tales
| of their youth, the days they invested in things like the
| commodore or the IBM PC. I was born at the end of the 90's and
| never touched any of those things and always felt like I missed
| out.
|
| I've done a lot of work with the IBM i Series (AS400), which has
| an interface from that era, but no games.
| allthedatas wrote:
| Keep manually refreshing that AS400 screen! In the late 90s
| while I was in college, for a while I had a graveyard shift job
| running backups and printing shipping labels at a large
| retailer and most of the work was done on an AS400 and also SCO
| UNIX before they became a zombie copyright troll.
| _spduchamp wrote:
| I want is someone to fab real 6581 SID chips so I can do stuff
| like this and have it sound as it should.
|
| 10 FORL=54272T054295:POKEL,0:NEXT
|
| 15 POKE54296,15:TI$="000000"
|
| 20 POKE54277,255:POKE54278,255
|
| 25 POKE54284,255:POKE54285,255
|
| 30 POKE54276,17:POKE54283,17
|
| 40 FORA=8TO1STEP-1:FORB=ATO1STEP-1
|
| 45 T=TI+2952/B
|
| 50 POKE54273,3: POKE54272,A
|
| 55 POKE54288,3:POKE54279,A+B
|
| 60 PRINTA,A+B
|
| 70 IFTI<TTHEN70
|
| 80 NEXT:NEXT
|
| 90 POKE54276,16:POKE54283,16
| vunderba wrote:
| Absolutely love the SID chip. The clever way of imitating
| chord-based triads by just rapid arpeggiating on a single
| channel was super cool to me as kid.
| smilespray wrote:
| Wasn't Rob Hubbard one of the guys behind that trick?
| vardump wrote:
| Arpeggio was everywhere, doable on pretty much any sound
| chip.
|
| I think what sets SID apart are things like high/low pass
| filters, finely adjustable PWM width and maybe even finely
| tunable pitch.
| _spduchamp wrote:
| The SID chip is an analog semi-modular synth with digital
| control. The arpeggios unfortunately seem to be so heavily
| leaned on that it pretty much defines the chiptune sound,
| and those arpeggios could be played on lots of other
| systems, but the SID, when you dig into the beat
| frequencies and filters is a rich sonic world like no
| other.
|
| Here is that BASIC beat frequency drone (no filter stuff)
| https://youtu.be/k2YZkSq2gcY
| woodrowbarlow wrote:
| with the name "ultimate" plus the hints in the original video,
| will this use Gideon's ultimate64? and it includes a case,
| keyboard (maybe mechboard64?), and flash cassette -- all for less
| than the cost of an ultimate64 mainboard? pretty light on details
| but potentially an incredible deal.
| the_af wrote:
| A nice emulated alternative used to be TheC64. I own one, not
| sure if it's available at a reasonable price anymore. Not a real
| Commodore -- it's running a version of VICE in an ARM chip -- but
| with the actual form factor of a breadbin C64 and with a working
| keyboard, which brings back memories!
|
| You can play games and even program (basic, assembly, etc) using
| a real keyboard. Pretty cool!
|
| I like this is hardware based rather than emulated. However, I'm
| unconvinced by the color changing case, which the C64 didn't
| have...
| rbanffy wrote:
| I think it hits a sweet spot where the physical experience is
| close enough (where would you get an HDMI CRT monitor?). I
| maintain the physical interaction with the emulator is key for
| creating the illusion of real hardware.
|
| > I'm unconvinced by the color changing case, which the C64
| didn't have...
|
| They have beige.
| the_af wrote:
| Wow, downvotes for mentioning an emulated alternative that also
| physically looks like a C64? I didn't expect a reddit-like
| response from HN :(
| JKCalhoun wrote:
| Pretty inexpensive? I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the
| pre-order.
|
| I have a couple of KIM-1 "clones" and enjoy them as well. I feel
| like, in my old age, whenever that comes, I will enjoy them even
| more. Diving at long last deep into assembly....
| derdi wrote:
| Big props for the website footer: "Only essential cookies here -
| no tracking, no popups, just focus-friendly computing the
| Commodore way."
| elvis70 wrote:
| Good intentions, but the site is hosted by Wix which add their
| own trackers.
| mgkimsal wrote:
| Was at a friend's place a few years ago. He had an original c64,
| tape drive, disk drive, okidata printer, and a trove of disks.
| We'd been friends since high school, but I think he'd stopped
| using his by then, and I was more of the computer guy (we bonded
| over guitars, not code).
|
| This was just sitting in his garage. "Take it - take it all" he
| said. Then... was sort of forceful with it, and started putting
| it in my car. :)
|
| I took it back home, and... realized I can't connect it to
| anything. And I'm _not_ a hardware guy. I hate hacking on that
| sort of stuff. So I ended up giving it all to a friend who was
| getting in to retro stuff with his son. I think they got it
| working and connected up to something. I also gave him my C128.
|
| I still have the original Commodore 'Prolog' and (IIRC) 'Forth'
| packaging somewhere in the office here. :)
|
| Looking at these (and probably some other incarnations) I'm
| tempted to get one only because of the built in HDMI.
|
| I've poked around with some emulators online and it's fun, but
| the combination of the original keyboard and shape plus HDMI
| might be enough to get me to commit. Probably just the original
| beige though.
| th0ma5 wrote:
| If it is all original, you'll want to be careful with the power
| supply. It's known to fail in a way that over voltages.
| Replacement ones can be made or bought relatively
| inexpensively.
| mgkimsal wrote:
| That was also in the back of my mind. Even back in the 80s, I
| remember those bricks being a source of heat and... shock
| sometimes. I'm just not a hardware guy, so gave it to someone
| who I think loves tinkering with that sort of stuff... :)
| mdtancsa wrote:
| Its so funny you mention the color. Looking at the image on the
| website, I was struck by the fact that beige could strike a
| visceral exciting nostalgia reaction in me. I mean, its beige
| FFS, the ultimate "boring" color :) I went from a totally
| disengaged / disinterested teen in school to paying out of my
| own pocket (I think $50 at the time) to take a course taught be
| Steve Punter in the basement of a library on the other side of
| Toronto on 6502 assembler -- in the summer!
| gramie wrote:
| Is Thomas Middledich (the central character in the TV show
| Silicon Valley) really the Chief Creative Officer?
|
| Jeri Ellsworth as Technical Advisor is also a solid member of the
| C64 community.
| peterfirefly wrote:
| Looks like they are using (are going to use?) her FPGA re-
| implementation.
| skeeter2020 wrote:
| It's good to have some healthy skepticism, but everything I've
| seen has felt very legit and pragmatic. It's funny-sad that a
| lot of people feel THIS is a nostalgia cash-in when Jack
| Tramiel was one of the least technology-driven, emotive figures
| in the 8-bit era. I'm OK if they do what it takes to keep the
| spirit of the Commodore community alive.
| allthedatas wrote:
| While I did get to use a Vic20 in school I did not have a c64 but
| my friend did. At home I had an Apple IIe (which I still have)
| and it was great but boy was I jealous of all those color C64
| games and also the modem they had for it! I didn't get a modem
| until I switched to a PC in 1989.
| skeeter2020 wrote:
| Someone broke into my house and stole my Vic20 and tape deck;
| we used the insurance money to buy a C64 and disc drive. At the
| time it was very tramatic, but turned out to be a big blessing!
| austinallegro wrote:
| 10 PRINT "POOPY PANTS"
|
| 20 GOTO 10
|
| RUN
| egypturnash wrote:
| 10?"POOPY PANTS! ";:RUN
| theonething wrote:
| As a kid, when we went shopping at K-mart, I would hangout at
| the computer department while parents shopped and did stuff
| like this on the C64. hehe
| aduwah wrote:
| Am I the only one who gets sad when looking at the site? The
| resentment of modern computing and interconnected life feels
| extremely wrong with a Commodore brand on it.
|
| Don't get me wrong, I would love to have the box, but to me
| commodore means the complete opposite. It was the tech that
| inspired me to start learning and later building complex systems.
| The evolution of tech after this machine did not steal anything
| from me, but enriched my life both financially and otherwise.
| taylodl wrote:
| Like many people my age (ahem!) the Commodore 64 was my first
| computer and I loved it and it's responsible for my long software
| development career.
|
| But I don't want that Commodore 64 today.
|
| I want the Commodore 64 of 2025. A machine where middle schoolers
| can learn the basics of programming while having fun with
| graphics and sound. Maybe even have a simple 2D gaming engine
| built-in. I don't know. I want the _spirit_ of the Commodore 64,
| not the actual machine itself.
| psadri wrote:
| I agree. I recently started exposing my kids to programming and
| I chose a C64 emulator. The BASIC REPL is so simple/limited
| that it doesn't overwhelm the kids with irrelevant syntax
| (those can come later, if they are interested). The fact that a
| 1..100 loop can introduce a noticeable delay. You can literally
| see the computer working. Primitive graphics and sound provide
| immediate feedback which makes learning engaging and fun.
| rcarmo wrote:
| We used PICO-8. Worked great for that purpose.
| derstander wrote:
| Picotron (also by Lexaloffle) might be an even better match
| for those wanting a retro workstation as opposed to a retro
| game console.
|
| https://www.lexaloffle.com/picotron.php
| hakfoo wrote:
| In that regard, I almost feel like a new Atari 800-series would
| be better.
|
| The C64 had good graphics and excellent sound but so much of it
| was behind a brick-wall learning curve of poking. Atari's
| native BASIC at least provided some rudimentary access. You
| want something where the user can get a win on day 1, or it's
| getting buried in the closet with the rock tumbler.
|
| Or maybe if they packed in a super-extended BASIC ROM. But
| pretty quickly you end up wanting something with more modern
| flow control and structures, maybe closer to "Qbasic with
| sprite commands" and then you're probably demanding more than
| what can be reasonably asked of a 6510-class CPU.
| z303 wrote:
| The RM 800XL maybe of interest
|
| https://revive-machines.com/index-en.html
| vunderba wrote:
| The Mega65 was a stab at this idea - a self contained
| modernized version of the old 8-bit computer while trying to
| maintain backwards compatibility with C64 programs.
|
| https://mega65.org
| amichail wrote:
| There was no need to include a floppy drive though.
|
| Also, Python would have been better than BASIC as the built-
| in default language.
| kevindamm wrote:
| What you're describing sounds a lot like the OLPC XO.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC_XO
| killerstorm wrote:
| I don't think Python is better than BASIC. It's more
| powerful, sure, but it's crazy complex and fussy. Wrong
| punctuation and your code doesn't work.
|
| If you want Python just use modern laptop, no need to retro
| anything.
|
| BASIC has command-like statements, no complexity like
| lambda, classes, modules, etc.
| amichail wrote:
| Having a computer that boots directly into a built-in
| programming language is still compelling though.
|
| It encourages the user to learning programming and
| develop their own apps.
| mceachen wrote:
| Are you remembering the same BASIC that I'm remembering?
| With fixed line numbers? Refactoring was near impossible.
| Spaghetti code was par for the course. You were forced to
| build everything twice or thrice if you wanted a final
| product that wasn't embarrassing.
|
| Just not having line numbers cooked in is a total game
| changer.
|
| And no GOTO.
| zozbot234 wrote:
| > With fixed line numbers? Refactoring was near
| impossible. Spaghetti code was par for the course.
|
| Yup, even for the old 8-bit computers FORTH would've been
| a lot more elegant than BASIC. But back in the day BASIC
| came with highly valued conveniences such as a soft-float
| implementation that meant support for the "desk
| calculator" use case was available out of the box, and
| users could just go on from there.
| graydoubt wrote:
| I had a C16, and later a C128D (and therefore a C64). The
| C64 had the most limited BASIC of them all, with v2.0. So
| many advanced features were hidden behind PEEK/POKE. With
| BASIC 3.5 on the C16, they added the RENUMBER command,
| which made refactoring much easier, and it had a SOUND
| command, despite having a much simpler DSP
| implementation. The C128 had BASIC v7.0, which included a
| sprite editor, and much more advanced SOUND command.
|
| If they upgraded the C64's BASIC to 7.0, that would
| already make a lot of things much more accessible.
| killerstorm wrote:
| I mean it's a better language for middle-school kids.
| They shouldn't be concerned with refactoring.
|
| Important thing about BASIC is that each "command" does a
| rather limited amount of "stuff". In that way it is kinda
| similar to assembly language.
| zozbot234 wrote:
| Plenty of elementary and middle-school kids learned LOGO
| which is a vastly more elegant language than BASIC. (It's
| essentially a LISP with different syntax, the one thing
| that's inadvisable about it for modern purposes is its
| use of dynamic scope.)
| glimshe wrote:
| Python would be the wrong choice. BASIC is the ultimate
| "batteries included" language. No weirdness hidden behind
| dynamic types and you can make full games with graphics and
| sounds (in most implementations) without installing a
| single external library. BASIC is feature-poor by design
| and beginners can quickly fully master it. And there are
| classic variants without line numbers (no need for GOTOs)
| for those who hate them.
|
| IMHO, humanity is yet to build a better beginner language,
| at least if you look at the late BASICs such as QuickBASIC.
| PaulHoule wrote:
| See also
|
| https://www.commanderx16.com/
|
| Which is based on the 6502-compatible 65C816 but used a
| simple banking scheme instead of the broken 24-bit address
| space that chip natively supports (no 24-bit index registers)
| The way video memory works in it is really clever and lets it
| really surpass 1980s machines in many ways.
|
| My favorite retrocomputer though has to be
|
| https://www.olimex.com/Products/Retro-
| Computers/AgonLight2/o...
|
| which is priced right though it doesn't have the keyboard and
| instead based on the eZ80 which really does extend the Z-80
| with 24-bit registers so that you can use all the RAM easily.
| cmdlyne wrote:
| > I want the spirit of the Commodore 64, not the actual machine
| itself.
|
| Why not have both?
|
| You could buy this and you could setup EndlessOS:
|
| https://www.endlessos.org/os
| aruggirello wrote:
| Based on Debian, but does not use apt. I'm impressed by the
| effort, but not fully convinced.
| deaddodo wrote:
| > I want the Commodore 64 of 2025. A machine where middle
| schoolers can learn the basics of programming while having fun
| with graphics and sound. Maybe even have a simple 2D gaming
| engine built-in. I don't know. I want the spirit of the
| Commodore 64, not the actual machine itself.
|
| Exactly. This is what I think every time I see one of these old
| revival projects. I don't want a Spectrum, C64, Atari ST,
| etc...we have those, they're fairly easy to acquire and
| renovate. And are more than capable of being run on a FPGA. And
| there are dozens of projects built around the same old 6502,
| Z80, etc.
|
| Stop locking your perspective into the 80s to try to recapture
| that nostalgia.
|
| No, give me a new "hobbyist" computer in the _spirit_ of those
| days. Throw an ARM m-series /RISC-V/etc on it with some custom
| blitter/vdpu and sound ASICs and 512MB of RAM. Give it some
| easily accessible programming environment on ROM, with an
| option to baremetal with ASM, C, etc. Add a few slots that are
| MMAPed in. And let the hobbyist field run wild.
| markus_zhang wrote:
| I have always wanted to learn to build a (relatively modern)
| computer like the one you described:
|
| - Some 32-bit CPU, whatever, anything that is a bit easy to
| program through C/ASM, just to make sure there is no weird
| kirks.
|
| - Support keyboards, displays, mouse, etc., just the usual
| ones. So a lot of drivers.
|
| - Some 256MB - 512MB memory should be good enough.
|
| - Has an OS, some programming languages, some tools, a good
| editor, etc.
|
| This is like the Ben Eater 8-bit computer in adrenaline. It
| is probably a LOT of work just to figure out how to source
| the correct components, and build the thing, then a LOT more
| work to write drivers for them, and MORE work to write OS and
| compilers and tools for them. We can't use Linux because it
| has memory protection all over the place. We need something
| that newbies can poke and peek into, and simply reset the CPU
| if something is wrong, just like the micro computers in the
| 70s/80s. We DO want capable compilers and interpreters (e.g.
| C/Python) and good tools (like, some editors that have good
| auto-complete at least).
|
| It's a bit like building a pad or a mobile phone, but without
| all those commercial consideration. Nowadays, to build a pad
| or a mobile phone, if I'm not mistaken, one simply push
| Android into the chipsets and call it a day, which is not
| what I want. But what I want probably doesn't make $$ so no
| one is going to do it.
| nolist_policy wrote:
| What is wrong with an raspberry Pi pico?
|
| If you need more ram: https://jaycarlson.net/embedded-
| linux/ (just ignore the Linux part)
| markus_zhang wrote:
| Yeah it works fine if we ignore the Linux part. Guess I
| might be thinking too much.
| hoistbypetard wrote:
| > No, give me a new "hobbyist" computer in the spirit of
| those days. Throw an ARM m-series/RISC-V/etc on it with some
| custom blitter/vdpu and sound ASICs and 512MB of RAM. Give it
| some easily accessible programming environment on ROM, with
| an option to baremetal with ASM, C, etc. Add a few slots that
| are MMAPed in. And let the hobbyist field run wild.
|
| Isn't a pi awfully close to that, at least in spirit? For my
| 10 year-old's science project, I bought a trio of interesting
| sensors off amazon, showed her a diagram of the GPIO pins and
| a diagram of the sensor pins, explained how to map between
| the two, and had her draw it out with colored pencils.
|
| Then I burned a fresh raspbian image onto a sd card,
| connected a keyboard, mouse, and tv, and helped her figure
| out how to read the GPIO pins in python. The vibe of the
| whole thing felt a lot like the old things we had in the 80s
| and early 90s, but more accessible because I didn't have to
| deal with weird serial/parallel junk or with putting together
| a PCB for the slots.
|
| It does sound like this crew harbors ambitions of moving past
| nostalgia to embracing that spirit a little more, but I don't
| personally feel like that's lacking in the Pi ecosystem, at
| least...
| tracerbulletx wrote:
| From their faq.
|
| Is this all just nostalgia? Nostalgia is one of our two core
| pillars - alongside modern innovation. Like yin and yang, these
| forces balance and strengthen each other in that retro *
| futurism approach.
|
| The commercial power of nostalgia is real - and it will help
| fuel and fund the development of modern, forward-facing
| products in turn. It's a symbiotic cycle: retro inspires,
| modern sustains. Commodore isn't returning. It's evolving, with
| purpose.
| johnb231 wrote:
| Written by ChatGPT. The second paragraph is obviously AI
| slop.
|
| This sentence is 100% AI generated: "It's a symbiotic cycle:
| retro inspires, modern sustains. Commodore isn't returning.
| It's evolving, with purpose."
| mrob wrote:
| Agreed it looks like slop, and it's IMO a bad sign. I think
| a big part of the appeal of old computers is the fact that
| they're simple enough for a single human to completely
| understand.
|
| Generative AI is a black box that's impossible to
| completely understand. Using generative AI signals to me
| that whoever did it probably doesn't find any inherent
| value in understanding things, and sees understanding only
| as a means to an end. Old computers have little practical
| use, so this leaves nostalgia as the main appeal, and
| nostalgia has less stringent requirements.
| tracerbulletx wrote:
| The people behind this are a pretty known entity..
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke-Ao-CpI7E
| zozbot234 wrote:
| They also mention that they explicitly wanted this - a state-
| of-the-art reimplementation of the old C64 - to be their
| _first_ released product, which makes some sense. It 's also
| the product where their Commodore trademark - the real value
| behind this new effort - is most relevant, shifting away from
| the old pattern where random products would be "Commodore"
| branded, with no real link to the company's history or to any
| plausible "retro futurism" vision.
| mrandish wrote:
| I've been into 'retro computing' continuously since the 80s and
| there have been a variety of interesting retro focused machines
| like this launched over the last 15 years. They are mostly
| hobby projects but some have scaled up through crowd funding to
| be marginally successful. A big success in this market would be
| shipping a thousand units but few reach that level. I think the
| reason is that despite quite a bit of interest the market is
| fragmented into different groups with differing primary goals:
|
| * Capture "the spirit" of an all-in-one, simple computer that
| boots to an accessible language.
|
| * Recreate an actual 80s computer via software, FPGA emulation
| or compatible CPU. A major sub-group is those wanting support
| for physical 80s media which can include disks, cartridges and
| even tape.
|
| Within these major groups are a variety of different
| requirements. A big one is whether the machine must support
| modern displays (HDMI) or authentic retro displays (CRTs). If
| you don't have a CRT then HDMI is a requirement, however
| inserting what was originally low-res analog composite video
| into a hi-res digital container involves some significant
| trade-offs and design complexity. It's not trivial or cheap to
| do well with high-quality and high-compatibility. Then there
| are those who split on whether modern connectivity and
| conveniences like Wifi, Ethernet and SD card media are
| mandatory, nice-to-haves or definite should-not-haves. Of
| course, those conveniences aren't much use without sufficient
| CPU power and resolution to support a modern browser and OS
| capable of reading modern media which involve more cost and
| potential compatibility issues.
|
| The great thing is that those who are retro-interested now have
| a lot of good options ranging from OG hardware to software
| emulation, FPGA systems and all-new designs. My advice is to be
| clear on what experience you really want, the specific traits
| you care about and the various trade-offs and challenges those
| entail before diving in.
| gedy wrote:
| Isn't this basically a Raspberry Pi 400?
| https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-400/
|
| I think the challenge is computers these days can do so much
| that tinkering with something like this no longer feels
| futuristic or cutting edge like a C=64 did back then.
| mrandish wrote:
| Sure, a modern SBC repackaged in an all-in-one case can be
| a good option for most of the first group I mentioned.
| However, out of the box it doesn't boot to BASIC like an
| early 80s home computer so you'd need to configure a custom
| boot and choose a language. And even within that group
| there are some for who the simplicity of limited graphics,
| resolution and other capabilities is an important element,
| so they'd probably want to go further to something like
| auto-booting directly into a software emulation of an 80s
| computer.
|
| For those who care about running retro software titles,
| software or FPGA emulation would be the minimum, however
| that doesn't help those who want support for retro physical
| media or peripherals, CRT displays or highly accurate
| emulation. You may not care about those things but for a
| significant part of the addressable market for machines
| like this, one or more of those things are a high priority.
| Which was my point, the retro-interested market looks
| pretty large but when you zoom in, you realize it's
| fragmented and that makes it challenging to design a device
| that appeals to enough buyers. Since the RPi 400 seems
| perfect to you, you probably don't care about it looking
| like a C64, however the folks behind this new device paid a
| lot to buy the Commodore brand name and logo (supposedly up
| to a million dollars). And that's before the plastic
| moulds, retro keyboard etc. For you, that may all be wasted
| money and effort. For others it might be a big part of the
| appeal.
|
| It's certainly possible to make a retro computer that has
| HDMI, Wifi, Ethernet and SD cards and gets on the modern
| web but also has analog composite, S-video, and component
| output for CRTs, along with having a cartridge port, floppy
| drive, serial or parallel port and which runs period
| software with cycle-accuracy. However, that device is
| probably going to cost close to $1,000 and take a fair bit
| of time and expertise to create. I'm a hardcore retro-
| enthusiast and I'd certainly consider spending that kind of
| money but most people probably wouldn't. Worse... I'm not
| even in the market for such a wonder-machine because I
| already own over a hundred different models of retro
| computer along with analog composite, S-video and composite
| CRTs to use them (almost every 80s model of Commodore,
| Atari, Apple, Amiga, Sinclair, Amstrad and Radio Shack
| along with other more obscure brands).
| leptons wrote:
| Have you seen the things going on with the C64 in the last 20
| years?
|
| https://www.pouet.net/prodlist.php?platform%5B0%5D=Commodore...
|
| Some of it is astonishing given the limitations of the machine.
|
| The technical mastery and creative problem solving going on
| here is what keeps the demoscene alive. The C64 is still going
| strong, new productions come out all the time.
|
| And I can't think of a better machine for a kid today to start
| out with than an 8-bit machine. If they learn assembly language
| on a C64, they will have a far better understanding of how
| computers actually work than anyone taking a class in web or
| crypto or whatever they teach kids about computers today.
| christkv wrote:
| I think something like blitzbasic with llm support to vibe code
| and generate sprite sheets would be awesome.
| Keyframe wrote:
| (disclaimer, I have maybe a bit too much of this retro
| hardware.. unhealthy amount, ahem).
|
| Raspberry Pi 400 / 5 would be that.. but, in reality and
| pragmatically since it needs to be something widespread I'd
| argue it's actually a browser. In Chrome you hit Ctrl-Shift I
| and console is right there.
| bowsamic wrote:
| It's called Emacs, not even joking
| boltzmann64 wrote:
| I am sorry, but people are still using Commodore 64 these days?
| slow_typist wrote:
| There are even people who develop new games for the C64. And
| there is still an active demo scene I think.
| richrichardsson wrote:
| Yes, there is a very active demo scene, and frankly the
| people coding them are wizards.
|
| But not just the coders, the artists (visual/audio) are also
| wizards.
| mrbluecoat wrote:
| Not sure where they were going with LEDs on a nostalgia device
| but glad they offer beautiful beige:
| https://www.commodore.net/product-page/commodore-64-ultimate...
| cmrdporcupine wrote:
| In a way I'd just have preferred for them to slap an official
| Commodore branding on the Mega65, which is IMHO a much more
| compelling and amazing product:
|
| https://mega65.org/
|
| Huge labour of love, and far more interesting.
| rbanffy wrote:
| I find it a bit of a shame it's so expensive though. By far,
| the most important aspect of emulation is the physical
| experience, from typing on an accurate recreation, to inserting
| floppies, to hearing the sounds and feeling the vibration. The
| mega65 could be a shell with a small ARM board inside and I'd
| be happy, the same way I am with my The64 Maxi.
| whartung wrote:
| Wasn't the Commodore logo and name sold recently for "seven
| figures"?
|
| Is this the same folks?
| Findecanor wrote:
| The promo video [1] is on the new Commodore CEO's YouTube
| channel, so it must be.
|
| The PCB looks like a rebranded "Ultimate 64" FPGA board [2],
| which has been out in a couple of iterations for a few years.
|
| 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fGP59mJ5M
|
| 2. https://ultimate64.com/
| layer8 wrote:
| I hope they'll add a version with the C64C design down the line.
| jadbox wrote:
| I'm sorta turned off that it doesn't include the joysticks.. and
| they are $40 each!
| pflenker wrote:
| This really scratches my itch. I love retro computing, the closer
| to the original hardware the better - but the one thing that gets
| in the way (and that can stay in the past!) are the horrible
| loading times. A new C64 is exactly what I need.
| Cockbrand wrote:
| I have a somewhat modded C64 with JiffyDOS and an SD2IEC, and
| it loads everything really fast. Sometimes I miss the weird
| 1541 noises, but generally, it's a great combination.
| dirtikiti wrote:
| I get the retro thing... But...
|
| How about a new operating system with backwards compatibility
| that runs on modern arm hardware...
| wvenable wrote:
| https://www.ami64.com/product-page/the-c64-maxi
|
| and
|
| https://myretrocomputer.com/
| jasoneckert wrote:
| I still have a C64 in my basement in case I need a nostalgia
| kick. A few years ago I set it all up and loaded a game. I was
| surprised at how slow it is and how bad the game was compared to
| how I remember it - so I boxed it up again and have no intention
| of setting it up again to keep my fond memories intact.
|
| I have a feeling many who buy this product will ultimately do the
| same.
| atombender wrote:
| I had the opposite experience. I bought a C64 at a flea market
| and hooked it up to an old Sanyo TV I had found in a dumpster.
| Loaded up Time Pilot, Drop Zone, and H.E.R.O., and had an
| incredibly fun time playing them together with a date.
|
| Sometimes the nostalgia doesn't kick in, and clearly many
| things were objectively bad in a way that hits differently now.
| I wouldn't want to sit long nights writing assembly code and
| battle bad sectors on floppy disks. But I still think it's a
| great little gaming computer.
| egypturnash wrote:
| I sure spent a lot of time with my c64 and the idea of having a
| new one in the exact same wrist-ruining form factor, except
| transparent so you can see that it's actually implemented via a
| tiny handful of modern chips, has absolutely zero appeal.
| sgt wrote:
| Imagine coupling this with this IPS screen:
|
| https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/checkmate1500mini/retro...
|
| (Stephen Jones' project - he also has Commodore background, IIRC)
| crims0n wrote:
| For some reason this is not linking to what I expected...
|
| Edit: I think this is where you meant to link:
| https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/checkmate1500mini/retro...
| ibobev wrote:
| I hope the original hardware of retro systems will be in
| production again someday.
| markus_zhang wrote:
| I'm still looking for the 2025-2030 version of a kid's first
| computer. C64 and Apple ][ made sense back then because whatever
| the poor animation they provided back in the late 70s/early 80s
| are exciting ENOUGH for younger version of us. Back then ANY
| interaction is good enough. NES was the bang but it definitely
| requires a lot of imagination to match the sprites to the box
| arts. I think the key here is to force the kids to use
| imagination.
|
| Actually I'm going to do an experiment on my soon to be 5-years-
| old son. I have exposed some cartoon shows to him, but none of
| them is very fancy. I gave him Curious George and Bluey, both
| fall more into the hand-drawn camp than the CG camp. I have never
| expose him to any games or mobile apps like TikTok. I'm going to
| expose NES games or C64 games to him and see if he is interested.
| Despite my respect to John Carmack, I'm always in the camp of
| "you don't need post-2000 graphics to make any genre interesting,
| even for FPS", and I always believe the advancement of graphics
| hurts games more than benefiting them.
| crims0n wrote:
| Grabbed a preorder, the Beige one seems like a legitimately good
| deal at 300 USD; and it comes with a spiral bound user manual!
| AlexeyBrin wrote:
| Is there any way to see what the manual contains ? It would be
| great to have a programming tutorial like the original.
| crims0n wrote:
| No idea unfortunately, just saw it listed in the "what's in
| the box" section.
| cadr wrote:
| They at least have some cool technical advisors. And a "Chief
| Tramiel Officer".
| ta8645 wrote:
| Earlier in the day the number of preorders / total number of
| systems available was shown on the order page. That seems to have
| been removed now. Presales may be going slower than hoped.
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